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Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to

Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving

me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,

but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this

story to make it more interesting :)

Chapter Sixty-Three

I was glad for whatever had caused my brother to mature since the last time we were growing up because he seemed to understand the need to cast pleasantries and formalities aside; he and Peach showed us where we could put our stuff down and then immediately led me and Daisy to a room to get down to business. Down the hall we all went with a confused child in tow. Mario held the door open for everyone and we filed into the small little alcove. It was real comfortable looking and had an air of privacy. I could imagine it might be used as a place to wind down after a long day.

There was a fireplace currently not in use against the far wall with a portrait of Mario and Peach at their wedding on the mantle. All along the walls there were elegant torches to light the room and on the stone floor there was a giant maroon rug. There were some end tables on either side of the fireplace and a stand for the fire pokers. Mario gestured for everyone to have a seat as he took his on a small burgundy couch. It was big enough for him and Peach only so Daisy and I sat down on the other couch in the room, still burgundy but slightly longer. There was space for me and her and for the child to sit between us. In front of us there was a coffee table, bare for the time being. Peach glanced at it and stood.

"I'll be right back," She told us before leaving the room.

While she was gone, there was a moment of near-silence. The only sound that could be heard was the faint tapping and clicking of the toy that the child was playing with. He was engrossed with it and I was just thankful it had a 'mute' setting. Peach returned with a tray of refreshments, which she sat on the coffee table. Unsurprisingly, there were white and gold china cups and two glass teapots labeled, 'tea' and 'coffee'. Naturally there was a glass pot of sugar and cream and little fancy spoons, as well as plates of cookies and biscuits. It looked so dainty and it smelled great, but I wasn't really hungry. Either that or I was anxious.

"So what's going on, baby brother?" Mario asked with genuine concern. "You ain't hurt or in trouble or nothing, are you?"

I shook my head and started fixing myself some coffee. I saw Daisy put a couple of cookies on a napkin and hand them to the little child next to me, who took them from her shyly. She, herself, seemed sort of on edge because her slim hands shook a bit as she fixed herself some tea.

I asked my brother, "You seriously haven't heard what's been going on?"

He replied, "...No. I mean, we've been getting reports about some isolated attacks in various kingdoms. Peach and I sent a team out to investigate them but we haven't gotten any word back on that."

"Is that what this is about?" Peach asked, stirring her tea.

"No," I frowned. "So you really haven't heard, then."

"Heard what, Luigi?" Mario asked with his brow furrowed. "Other than those attacks, it's been quiet in the Mushroom World."

Peach nodded and said, "We've had so much peace that we're almost finished rebuilding the kingdom."

I sighed and glanced at Daisy. She was sipping her tea so I figured it would be me dropping the bomb on them. Facing my brother and his wife again, I pondered how to break the news.

"Bowser's alive."

Swift and to the point; nice

I couldn't even tell if I was being sarcastic or not. It didn't matter, the damage was done. At my words Peach's clear blue eyes widened and her hands stilled in bringing her teacup to her parted lips. Mario's brows jumped, then he laughed dryly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." He chuckled. "Luigi, did you just say that Bowser's alive?"

I nodded, which only made him look more perplexed. He leaned on the edge of the couch and put his hands on his knees, then glanced down and back at me with more than a little skepticism.

"...Are you telling me that the same stronzo we helped put down is alive?" Mario asked me quietly.

"Not just that," Daisy quietly remarked, "He's on the loose."

"WHAT?!" Mario shouted, the news finally getting to him.

He must have realized we were serious because now he was getting red in the face and Peach had to put a tender hand on his arm to calm him. He settled but his anger had been peaked.

"Bowser's alive?" He said more to himself. "Impossible! I saw him go out with my own two eyes!"

"Did you?" Daisy asked him softly.

She had her head bowed over her teacup and her wavy brunette hair had fallen on either side of her face. She looked small, demure, as she gripped the fine china. Mario glanced at her and faltered. While he did, Peach glanced at him before speaking.

"How can this be?" She asked.

I said wryly, "You can thank Ludwig for that."

"Ludwig?" Mario piped with another frown. "What's that kid got to do with this?"

"Instead of ending him," Daisy spoke, staring at Peach. "He did something to put the king into a coma while he stole his powers."

Both of the royal spouses stared at us with varying degrees of disbelief.

"His plan backfired," I supplied, "and now Bowser's alive and we don't know where he is."

"But he doesn't have his powers," Daisy added, "Ludwig has them. That part of his plan did work."

Good for him, was what I heard her say with her sour tone and narrowed eyes. I brushed my hand over her back and she leaned over to me. Between us, the child scooted forward so as not to be crushed in the middle of our embrace. He was still into his game.

Mario crossed his arms and leaned back and said, "So it's Ludwig we should be worried about?"

Daisy put down her cup onto the coffee table and tilted her head, making her wavy hair slide onto my shoulder for a second.

"Yes and no," She told my brother hesitantly. "Ludwig's not really a threat at the moment, considering he's mostly preoccupied with keeping himself alive."

"What do you mean?" Peach inquired.

She, too, put her cup on the table. It seemed no one was in the mood for refreshments right then.

In answer Daisy replied, "The Dark King is alive but powerless. He's saddled himself with the witch Cackletta and is working with her to kill Ludwig."

"Once he does," I filled in, "his power will leave Ludwig's body and return to him."

Peach frowned and Mario absently wrapped an arm around her shoulder and rubbed hers. He seemed just as troubled, though.

I told them, "They won't be accomplishing that any time soon."

"How do you know that?" My brother asked.

I gently pulled the child's long navy and black hair behind his shoulder and drew attention to him. Now my brother and Peach gazed curiously at the child again.

"This boy is Ludwig's clone," I informed them. "If Bowser gets his hands on this kid, he'll kill him."

What I didn't anticipate was the cube falling from the child's frozen fingers and the stricken look that crossed his babyish face as what little color lay in his alabaster skin drained from him. I didn't think before I said that, I didn't expect the child to understand. Now I had to rub his shoulders and glance at Daisy nervously for help. She reached for the boy and took him in her arms so that he was straddling her lap with his legs behind her back and his arms around her neck and his face buried in her shirt.

Great going

Okay, now I was sure that voice in my head was being sarcastic. I just sighed and heard my brother scoff disgustedly. Peach looked shocked and horrified.

"That's awful!" She exclaimed. "Why would he kill a child?"

"Not that he needs a reason to," Daisy began bitterly, "but this child is directly linked with Ludwig in that if the child dies, so doe he."

Mario looked enlightened and said, "So as long as the kid's with you, Ludwig's safe. Wait, why are you protecting Ludwig? I thought he was the one responsible for this mess in the first place."

"We're not protecting him," I assured my brother. "We're just working against Bowser."

Daisy's eyes narrowed and I could only imagine what thoughts were running through her mind at the moment. She closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose slowly and let her face wax blank.

In an even tone she said, "Ludwig is to blame for all this, true, but we can't let the Dark King rise again, for the sake of the Mushroom World."

Mario nodded and said, "Ah, I see."

Peach then shifted in her seat and asked warily, "Does Bowser know that the child is with you?"

"No one knows," I answered. "Except for us, you, Prince Peasley, and King Boo."

"King Boo?" Mario echoed. "You're working with that old coot?"

I shrugged and said, "It's complicated."

Peach pursed her lips before saying gently, "You know you won't be able to hide the child forever, right?"

"Yeah," Mario added. "Bowser's a crafty one, he has allies everywhere. He'll find out sooner or later where the kid is."

"We won't be keeping him much longer." I told them. "We'll pass him off to Peasley."

"And what will Peasley do once he has him?" Mario then asked.

I shrugged and said, "He didn't tell us."

"Does Ludwig know you have his clone?" Peach asked.

Daisy said, "It's hard to say exactly what Ludwig knows. I guess not, since he hasn't come for us."

Mario and Peach shared another distressed glance. Mario's was more irritated than stressed, to be honest.

My brother challenged, "Who's to say Bowser won't just cut his losses and kill Ludwig himself?"

"He won't." Daisy stated. "He knows Ludwig has his power and hasn't attempted to confront him at all."

Coward, I heard the word that wanted so badly to fly from her mouth. Her flinty eyes told it all, how she felt about the oh-so-mighty Dark King resorting to killing a child to get what he wanted instead of going up against Ludwig himself. I agreed with her sentiments wholeheartedly.

"So let me get this straight," Mario sighed. "Ludwig raised old Bowser from the dead, took his powers, and made a clone of himself for whatever reason-"

"He was tricked into making that clone, I think." Daisy spoke up.

Mario waved a hand and said, "So now Bowser's hiding out, trying to get his hands on this clone so that he can rise again. What I don't get is why Ludwig let him go in the first place."

"He didn't let him go," Daisy responded. "Ludwig had him locked up in the palace but Cackletta helped him escape. They were supposed to leave with the clone but there was a lot of confusion that night."

I remembered that night and winced at the details.

My brother said, "Okay. So if you two and Peasley are dealing with the clone, what should we be doing?"

Daisy sat up straighter and said, "Bowser's gonna' rear his ugly head sooner or later and come out of hiding. It's up to us all to be prepared for when he decides to launch an attack."

"How can he attack while powerless?" Peach asked.

"He won't be that way for long." Daisy predicted. "Even so, like Mario said, he's got friends everywhere. He'll just piggy-back off their power and numbers until he's gotten what he wants."

She turned to me and said, "Luigi and I will go to Sarasaland to ready my country and the troops. You two should do the same. I need to know we can count on your support."

"You got it," My brother replied firmly without missing a beat.

"What about Ludwig?" Peach interjected.

Daisy's voice was callous as she asked, "What about him?"

Peach was a bit startled at the bite in her tone so it was Mario who spoke next.

"What she meant was, wouldn't it be wise to make an ally of him?" My brother pointed out. "I mean, he's against Bowser, too, right?"

"We're better off without him." Daisy spoke coldly.

Trash, I could hear her add. I was getting scarily better at reading her mind without any sort of magic. Her thoughts just projected themselves all over her features and made it easy.

"You're probably right." Mario nodded. "He was the one to set this all into motion, after all. He could be dangerous, too, if he has the Dark King's power."

I then remembered something and physically started a little bit. I faced my brother.

"Where did you say those attacks happened?" I asked.

Mario said, "I didn't say, but they were in some remote kingdoms; Arid Kingdom, Eriel Kingdom, the Kingdom in the Valley of the Mountains..."

My brother trailed but my mind had hung up on the first place mentioned; Arid Kingdom. I recalled Peasley telling me that in a letter, telling me how Ludwig was laying siege to these places and putting his siblings on the throne. I shared this information with the others and Mario took it in stride.

"Makes since," He nodded slowly. "Guess we better steer clear of this kid, then."

"If we can help it." I agreed.

Mario stood and said, "Well it looks like I better start taking care of some things. I'm sorry to be short, but I gotta' go."

He came over to me and Daisy as we stood and hugged us. He rubbed my hair and I swatted at his hand.

"Take care, baby brother." He warned. "You have our full support."

Peach came over and added, "Should any new intelligence arrive or should you need us, we'll be ever available."

"Thanks," I told them.

Daisy said, "We'll be in touch."

We spoke as if giving farewells because, even though we were going right to our rooms for bed, we knew we wouldn't be seeing them anymore. It was one castle we were in but I knew Mario and Peach would be too busy to wile away anymore time with us. I was very impressed with how their relationship progressed. Not only were they not arguing anymore, but they seemed to work together now, like a cohesive team. Mario was still his usual go-get-em self, but Peach had really proven herself to be an industrious and integral woman, not just a delicate flower or arm candy. That might have had something to do with her change in attire; gone were the fanciful dresses and lace and petticoats. She did still have plenty of femininity, but it wasn't as sugar-coated as before. The woman exuded a quiet strength now. I watched her leave with her husband and Daisy and I followed them out of the room.

With the child in her arms, Daisy walked with me up the stairs to our guest bedroom. Along the way, I nudged her and smiled a little.

"That didn't go so bad," I told her.

She shrugged and said tiredly, "I'm just glad they didn't press for details."

"Yeah, me too."

There were some things no one else had to know about, like my near death at Ludwig's hands or Daisy's kidnapping. Not that these were embarrassing events, but that they were very terrifying and personal, and a source of pain for us both. Not only that, but telling my brother about this could cause some complications.

Meaning Mario would flip and do something rash, I thought, but maybe I wasn't giving him enough credit. Still, these things were better left unsaid. Like Peasley told me, the less you know, the better it is sometimes.

Daisy and I got into our dark room and both of us jumped at the sound of someone clearing their throat. From the shadows a tall figure pushed himself off the wall and made his way over towards us. All I could see were vivid magenta eyes and that scared the hell out of me.

"How did you..." I sighed and said, "Never mind."

"I've come for the child." King Boo spoke solemnly.

Daisy went over to the oil lamp and lit it, then regarded the somber king. He was in all black this time, no violet or crimson splashes to highlight his Victorian ensemble. He pushed a pale hand through his long hair and eyed us all. Daisy went over to the king and tried to pass the child to Boo's waiting arms, but the child held fast and whimpered a bit.

"Shh," Daisy whispered, petting his hair. "It's okay, baby, it's okay. He's not gonna' hurt you."

To the king she cast an uneasy glance as if to question the validity behind this claim.

In answer King Boo spoke gravely, "I wouldn't dare."

I didn't forget how much he cared about Ludwig. It wouldn't line up if he did something to jeopardize his ex-enforcer's life. Daisy tried once more to pass the child over to King Boo and once she did, the child wriggled out of the immortal's grip and walked over to me. I blinked when I saw him hug my legs and look up at me with those impossibly innocent emerald eyes. He then went over to Daisy, who crouched to hug him tightly and even kissed his forehead. The little child kissed her cheek and then went over to King Boo. Now he slipped his little hand into the older royal's one without a fuss. King Boo looked kind of forlorn. He gave us a nod before vanishing and I wondered why he looked so...sad.

Getting the fire started was the easy part; it was putting it out that proved to be the problem. There had to be a lesson in all this, a certain royal thought with frustration. Something akin to, woe to those of noble birth that should ever decide to cook. What he'd done in the small kitchen of the cottage in Rain Country could hardly be called that, for there was nothing cooking except the stove itself. He really couldn't trace his current dilemma back step for step, but he knew it had all started when hunger and a lack of adequate help compelled him to try and fix a meal himself.

What was I thinking, he now scowled to himself.

The front door and the windows near the kitchen table and the couch were open to let out the black plumes of smoke that had spurned from the site of disaster. The whole stove had been reduced to a crispy ash, not from the cooking mishap but from his resulting ire. He knew setting the thing ablaze was a cavalier way to use his limited power reserves, but he didn't care. He'd failed at something and still no closer to filling his stomach. That was grounds enough for his infamous temper to be whetted.

Like a little potato his son appeared with a shaggy brown blanket wrapped around his body and over his head. All that could be seen of the child were his huge jade eyes and his nose. Junior had woken with his father in the same state of physical want, so when he'd seen his father get to work in the kitchen, the child had gotten excited. He hadn't thought he'd witness his father's utter embarrassment at the hands of a cast iron skillet. Junior didn't know what it was his father had been trying to make, but it didn't matter now. The kitchen was ruined.

Quietly the child observed his father toss the remainder of the pots and ingredients, further evidence of his ineptitude, out the window where they landed haphazardly in the yard in front of the cottage. Junior coughed and covered his face even more with the blanket so that he didn't have to breathe in the harsh smoke. He blinked his babyish eyes and swung his feet from his seat on the kitchen counter. Bowser Sr. didn't notice his child because he was too busy pacing the small kitchen, slamming cupboards and cabinets and searching in vain for a source of nourishment that didn't require preparation. He found none.

"Daddy?" Junior spoke up, his voice somewhat muffled behind the blanket.

"What?" Bowser grated in answer, still searching for food.

Junior asked, "Why did you make all that black air with your fire?"

The Dark King stood from his bent over position near the cabinets under the sink and glared at his boy. He at first believed the child to be mocking him, but when he saw the innocuous curiosity in his child's expressive eyes, he just sighed and came over to him. Putting his hands on either side of Junior's blanketed legs, Bowser bowed his head so as to meet those twin jade eyes.

"Because I can't fucking cook." He scowled, then added foully, "It's not my job to, anyway. That's what the lesser beings of this world are for."

"Daddy," Junior continued, "What we gonna' eat, then, since all the food is all the way burned up? And since you can't even much cook?"

Bowser showed no offense when he muttered, "Good question."

"Daddy-"

"What?" Bowser snapped, eyeing his son irritably.

All the questions were starting to get on his already-vexed nerves. Junior blinked, unperturbed, and gazed up at his sire.

"I wanna' go home." He spoke softly.

Bowser stared at his son in silence, gauging something. Junior could never let a quiet moment just be, so his voice soon broke that silence.

"I don't like it here," The child spoke plaintively. "It's always raining and dark and the house don't have any fun things. And I miss Lemmy."

The Dark King regarded his son pensively.

Junior asked, "Why we can't just go back home? Then we can eat something that the cooks made and you won't have to make all the black air no more."

If Bowser had an answer for his son, it was aborted at the sound of approaching footsteps. So keen his hearing was that he sensed the impending visitor several seconds before they came through the open door. Upon recognizing the woman, Bowser rolled his eyes. He helped his son down from the counter and strode over to the door, crossing his arms over his toned bare chest.

"You better have a good reason for showing up empty handed." He threatened in greeting.

Cackletta closed the kitchen door behind her and sat down on the couch. When she sniffed and smelled the ten types of awful coming from the kitchen, she stood again.

"Of course I do," She replied to the king, then implored, "Can't we discuss this in the back?"

Bowser answered her by turning round and leading the way to the bedroom in the back of the cottage. Cackletta shut the door behind her once more but was immediately slammed into it by her shoulders. She winced at the brute force but was secretly aroused at the king's nearness. He bowed his head down over hers and sneered.

"So what's your excuse for failing me this time?" He asked her.

She flinched, then said coolly, "Relax. I sent Fawful to get your clone."

"It's been days!" Bowser growled. "How long does it take to pop in and snatch a little brat?"

"There's more to it than that," Cackletta sniffed.

Bowser dug his nails into her shoulders and narrowed his eyes dangerously. Trying to quell her fear, Cackletta released a sporadic, fake giggle and smiled placatingly at the Dark King.

"What I meant to say was," She back-pedaled, "He should be here sometime soon."

"Sometime soon?" Bowser echoed.

Oddly, he released her and took a step back. He turned his hand and showed her his left palm.

"Do you see this?" He asked her.

Cackletta cringed at the sight of bright red flesh and nodded. She didn't know that the burn had come from his futile attempts at manual labor this morning. Bower flexed his fingers almost experimentally. Because of his unique immune system, the wound was already well on its way to healing.

Bowser asked, "Do you know what this is?"

"A burn?" She asked more than replied.

"You're smarter than you look." Bowser drawled sardonically, then asked, "Do you know what this means?"

"That you should be more careful around fire?" Cackletta attempted weakly and with a thin smile.

The Dark King wrapped his injured fingers around her neck and dragged her towards him.

"It means," He spoke in a low voice, "That the longer I'm subjected to this handicap, the longer you'll suffer once I am restored."

He felt her throat bulge when she swallowed and donned an expression of immense disgust and anger. He was still pretty annoyed from the kitchen incident and had never truly been one for patience.

There was a knock on the front door.

Cackletta's forced smile looked more like a grimace as she strained to say, "That's probably Fawful with the clone now!"

Bowser released her and said, "For your sake, let's hope it is."

He moved to go to the door with her but Cackletta held him back. She didn't know for sure if Fawful had the clone, and if he didn't she'd like to make her getaway without the king being near enough to snatch her and punish her. She strode purposefully toward the front door and absently patted Junior's head from where she'd passed him sitting on the couch. Cackletta opened the door and hurriedly stepped out, shutting it behind her with a slam.

"Well it's about damn time!" She snapped, not knowing that those would be her last words for the next few days.

Inside the house, Junior was content to sit on the couch with his knees to his chest and his head buried in the blanket. He started at the sound of a loud thump. Before he knew what was going on, he saw his father come stalking from the back room. Junior followed the Dark King to the door and watched his father open it, then look down.

On the ground in front of the door there were two things; neither one of them being Cackletta or her minion. Bowser crouched and picked up not Cackletta's discarded diadem, but the other object; a crumpled piece of parchment. Junior gazed up at his father and watched the older royal scowl, then look absolutely livid, and then finally, surprisingly, smirk. He gazed down at his little heir with an unreadable, though undoubtedly pleased, expression.

"You were right," He told his son. "It's time we got the hell out of here."

A/N: Another chapter for you, people. Hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. Things are once again coming to a close. I'm still taking suggestions for a name to the next story.

Bowser can't cook to save his life; who knew?

Haha, that was what I'd figured anyway. The king is spoiled underneath all that anger and violence. No wonder he was so taken with Daisy; she staked him a few times with a knife but also steaked him with a fork...that didn't come out as logically as it did in my head...

Anyway, I'll be working on the next chapter. Stay cool, everybody! Until then...

~DymondGold~